Improvement in the methods of expanding steam-cylinder packing-rings



1. 1. ROBERTS. Methods of Expanding Steam-Cylinder Packing-'Bngs.N0.l5l,057 Patented May19,1874.

WWA/5655: wwf/v TOR UNITED STATES ATEN'I LFFIGE.

JAMES J. ROBERTS, OF GEDDES, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TOCHARLES S. PHARIS, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE METHODS 0F EXPANDING STEAM-CYLINDER PACKING-RINGS.

Specification forming part of' Letters Patent No. 151,057, dated May 19,1874 application filed March 7, 1874.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES J. ROBERTS, of Geddes, in the county ofOnondaga, in the State of New York, have invented a new and usefulImprovement for expanding the Packin g-Rings of a Cylinder, and forcentering the piston within the cylinder, of which the followingdescription, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is astatement sufficient to enable any one skilled in the art to make anduse my invention.

The object of this invention is to expand Vthe packing-rings in acylinder, and at the same time to adjust the piston in the center of thecylinder, without necessitating` a removal either of cylinder-head orfollower, thereby saving a large amount of time and labor, which is veryessential on railroad-locomotives, and avoiding also the danger ofbreaking the follower-bolts, which are generally difficult to remove andto renew. This invention consists, first, in attaching a small plateupon the hub of the piston, on the outside of the follower, so as tocontain and hold in place the set-screws, which are a part of andwhichoperate the ordinary wedges used for the purpose of centering a pistonin a cylinder, and also for expanding its packingrings, and by a removalof which plate all of the wedges are also removed with it, one of 'theobjects of the plate being to accomplish a quick removal of the wedges;second, arranging the wedges within the hub near the center of thepiston, so that they may be accessible for adjustment or removal withoutfirst taking off the cylinder-head or the follower of the piston.

In the drawing, Figure I is an end view of a piston containing myinvention. Fig. II is a longitudinal section of a cylinder, showing myimprovement. Fig. III is an end view of a piston with the followerremoved, so as to show the slots for the wedges and their connectionwith the set-springs. Fig. IV is an isometric view of one of the wedgesanda screw for setting it 5 and Fig. V is a view of the wedges, and ofthe plate for holding them, detached from their proper place.

A represents the follower of a piston, and B a cap or cover, which maybe fastened to lic inwardly. Bearing upon the surface of each one of thewedges are spurs l, that are joined to set-springs k k, which bear upona large portion of the inner surface of the packing-rings f f of thepiston. The wedges are operated by set-screws c c, extending through awedge-plate, l), that is fastened by a single nut, d, to the hub of thepiston, but outside of the follower, andl entirely independent of it. Toovercome the necessity of removing the follower and cylinder-head, so asto adjust the piston, or expand the packing-rings, a hole is made in thecenter of the cylinderhead large enough to admit the small wedgeplate towhich all the wedges are secured. The greatest wear of the piston is onthe bottom of the cylinder 5 therefore three or more wedges areemployed, so that the piston. may.

first be raised, and then centered in the cylinder by using the hole inthe cylinder-head as a guide without first having to establish acircular line around its center. ledges applied at a distance from thepiston-hub do not accomplish the object here sought, because they areplaced too far from the center of the piston to make them accessible,without first aremoval of the whole cylinder-head. In this invention thewedges are placed within the hub, thus bringing them all within a smallcompass; and they are all arranged upon a small plate, so that tooperate the wedges, it is only necessary to have a small aperture iu thecylinder-head, which may be covered by alittle screw-cap. Then, too, theattachment of the wedge-plate to the piston-hub is by a single nut,which admits of a ready detachment of the plate, whereby all the wedgesmay be withdrawn at once.

It is evident that this invention may be applied to the smallestcylinder. The invention also admits the use of more than onefollowerbolt, thus insuring a greater security of parts, and a morecertain movement of the piston upon a true line within the cylinder,over the use of a single follower-bolt.

I claiml. The combination7 with a piston-head, of a wedge-platawhich iSattached to the pistonhub independently of the follower, so that all canbe removed without taking off the whole cylinder-head.

In testimony whereof I have Signed my name and aflixed my seal7 in thepresence of two at testing witnesses, at Syracuse, in the county ofOnondaga and State of New York, this V13th day of February, 187 4.

JAMES JOSHUA ROBERTS. [n s] Witnesses CHRISTIAN HOLMSTRUP, WM. BRADLEY.

